The United States government, in partnership with the American automotive industry, is supporting research "that would lead to the development of emerging, next-generation technologies capable of producing an energy-efficient, pollution-free, economical, and marketable car (green car)". It may be many years before such technologies emerge. Even then, these next generation technology vehicles will require a totally new method of manufacturing, servicing and fueling such vehicles. Thus, such next generation technologies will require tremendous resources to modify existing infrastructure. Because of these factors, the ideal next generation technology would be one that is an evolution of existing automotive engine technology.
The main drawback of current piston-cylinder engine designs is the amount of exhaust pollutants produced. Inherent mechanisms of pollution formation are unavoidable; such as the lubrication oil film on the wall of the combustion chamber, flame quenching, and the crevices in the piston ring pack. The objective of the present invention is to develop a new piston-cylinder assembly configuration where the mechanisms that produce unwanted engine emissions are eliminated.
A conventional automotive engine utilizes a piston-crank assembly employing a crank shaft located along the central axis of the engine, which is connected to the pistons by long connecting rods. These connecting rods form an undesirably large reciprocating mass and also produce considerable side forces on the pistons because of the varying angular relationships of the connecting rods to the pistons.